Estimating budget and expenses for room relocation renovations

[jeromedawg]

Hey all,

Was curious if many of you have DIY-gutted your properties with the intention of moving rooms around and or rebuilding rooms. Is it generally worth doing this if you're not a contractor? This is all hypothetical for me, but I'd want to know the viability of doing something like this if we are considering buying a new place where everything else besides the layout/floor plan is desirable. In most cases, I would think the renovations would involve relocating the kitchen and possibly a bedroom. 

Generally what would something like this cost as far as demolition, supplies, etc? Better just to hire a interior designer and contractor for something like this if you have little to no experience? Or can you "DIY" and outsource some of the work somehow?

[lthenderson]

Hey all,

Was curious if many of you have DIY-gutted your properties with the intention of moving rooms around and or rebuilding rooms. Is it generally worth doing this if you're not a contractor? This is all hypothetical for me, but I'd want to know the viability of doing something like this if we are considering buying a new place where everything else besides the layout/floor plan is desirable. In most cases, I would think the renovations would involve relocating the kitchen and possibly a bedroom. 

Generally what would something like this cost as far as demolition, supplies, etc? Better just to hire a interior designer and contractor for something like this if you have little to no experience? Or can you "DIY" and outsource some of the work somehow?

Anything is possible but generally, I don't think it is worth changing entire floor plans unless you are really attached to the house and don't want to move. If I were buying a house, I certainly wouldn't buy one where you have to change the entire floor plan. I doubt you would ever get your money back. Moving all the plumbing, venting, draining, electrical, duct work, support roof loads with beams, supporting floor loads down below, etc. are all expensive and many require permits, outside approval, etc. Not very DIY.  Houses that I have retooled part of the floor plan mostly consists of moving a few walls and trying to avoid moving walls with duct work or plumbing in them as much as possible. Also load bearing walls are generally not DIY to size beams correctly.

Personally, I love to fix up homes and do as much as I can but I also hire out some things that require permits I don't have or are outside of my comfort zone. I also tend to hang around and look over shoulders to learn something for another day.

As far as cost, it is impossible to say without getting into lots of specifics that aren't mentioned. For the best idea on cost, I generally draw up a rough plan if it is simple, hire an architect if it is complex and get it quoted out by contractors. It doesn't cost me a dime to get somebody to quote it and I don't have to accept any of the quotes. But it does give me a very good idea of what it is going to cost and whether or not it is worth doing.

[jeromedawg]

Hey all,

Was curious if many of you have DIY-gutted your properties with the intention of moving rooms around and or rebuilding rooms. Is it generally worth doing this if you're not a contractor? This is all hypothetical for me, but I'd want to know the viability of doing something like this if we are considering buying a new place where everything else besides the layout/floor plan is desirable. In most cases, I would think the renovations would involve relocating the kitchen and possibly a bedroom. 

Generally what would something like this cost as far as demolition, supplies, etc? Better just to hire a interior designer and contractor for something like this if you have little to no experience? Or can you "DIY" and outsource some of the work somehow?

Anything is possible but generally, I don't think it is worth changing entire floor plans unless you are really attached to the house and don't want to move. If I were buying a house, I certainly wouldn't buy one where you have to change the entire floor plan. I doubt you would ever get your money back. Moving all the plumbing, venting, draining, electrical, duct work, support roof loads with beams, supporting floor loads down below, etc. are all expensive and many require permits, outside approval, etc. Not very DIY.  Houses that I have retooled part of the floor plan mostly consists of moving a few walls and trying to avoid moving walls with duct work or plumbing in them as much as possible. Also load bearing walls are generally not DIY to size beams correctly.

Personally, I love to fix up homes and do as much as I can but I also hire out some things that require permits I don't have or are outside of my comfort zone. I also tend to hang around and look over shoulders to learn something for another day.

As far as cost, it is impossible to say without getting into lots of specifics that aren't mentioned. For the best idea on cost, I generally draw up a rough plan if it is simple, hire an architect if it is complex and get it quoted out by contractors. It doesn't cost me a dime to get somebody to quote it and I don't have to accept any of the quotes. But it does give me a very good idea of what it is going to cost and whether or not it is worth doing.

Ah, thanks for the clarification. Sounds like it's a pretty major leagues type of a deal then. It's appealing for fix and flipping I suppose though haha. There was a home I saw that sold here in SoCal (Brea) and it was in pretty bad condition. People were living there but it was not well-maintained at all. Some fix n flip investor bought it for $550k (which is a 'bargain' in this area) and it's now pending at $730k!!!:

Before - https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/932-Joyce-Dr-Brea-CA-92821/25365351_zpid/

After - https://www.redfin.com/CA/Brea/932-Joyce-Dr-92821/home/4137329

Pretty unbelievable. I actually visited the house before it was renovated and they basically tore down the kitchen but presumably didn't have to move the gas/water plumbing around much at all if any based on what I recall and looking at the pictures. It looks really nice what they did with the place though, in opening it up. And the investor(s) who bought it really came out ahead it seems. I'm willing to bet it's a realtor/contractor team that did this.

[Khaetra]

I agree with Ithenderson, much of the big stuff isn't worth it money wise.  I am remodeling my kitchen with new floors, cabinets, etc.  If I wanted to expand my kitchen, I would have had to get rid of my back porch, tear out the back wall of the house, move everything...not a cost I wanted to incur for a house that isn't worth anything more than I paid for it many years ago.

[gooki]

That flip could have easily exceeded $100k plus?

[lthenderson]

It's appealing for fix and flipping I suppose though haha. There was a home I saw that sold here in SoCal (Brea) and it was in pretty bad condition. People were living there but it was not well-maintained at all. Some fix n flip investor bought it for $550k (which is a 'bargain' in this area) and it's now pending at $730k!!!:

I always laugh when I see the flipping houses show popular on cable television channels. What you rarely see is that these "couples" often have dedicated crews and several houses going at one time so the crews can be continuously busy to make the economics of flipping work. They usually tell you up front that it is going to take two to three months to renovate but when shown in a half hour time slot, it is easy to forget that. Also, it is easy to forget they had an entire crew doing the work with the proper permits and licensing. For one person to do it, it is a lot of work and takes a lot longer but if you enjoy that sort of thing, there is money to be made in many markets.

I consider myself a long term flipper. I buy a house and live in it while I fix it up over five years or so and then move on to the next project. I don't do it so much for the money but mostly because I like doing it and it keeps me busy when I want to be busy and if I don't, I generally can let things sit for awhile with no worries except for how it looks aesthetically.

[jeromedawg]

It's appealing for fix and flipping I suppose though haha. There was a home I saw that sold here in SoCal (Brea) and it was in pretty bad condition. People were living there but it was not well-maintained at all. Some fix n flip investor bought it for $550k (which is a 'bargain' in this area) and it's now pending at $730k!!!:

I always laugh when I see the flipping houses show popular on cable television channels. What you rarely see is that these "couples" often have dedicated crews and several houses going at one time so the crews can be continuously busy to make the economics of flipping work. They usually tell you up front that it is going to take two to three months to renovate but when shown in a half hour time slot, it is easy to forget that. Also, it is easy to forget they had an entire crew doing the work with the proper permits and licensing. For one person to do it, it is a lot of work and takes a lot longer but if you enjoy that sort of thing, there is money to be made in many markets.

I consider myself a long term flipper. I buy a house and live in it while I fix it up over five years or so and then move on to the next project. I don't do it so much for the money but mostly because I like doing it and it keeps me busy when I want to be busy and if I don't, I generally can let things sit for awhile with no worries except for how it looks aesthetically.

It's crazy because the one I linked was turned around in a matter of a month no more than two in terms of the renovations. I don't understand how it could have been turned around *that* fast other than by a team that was on top of every little detail.

House-hacking, sort of, right? That's what I'm hoping to do with the place we're in. Add value with some sweat-equity. Eventually, I want to update the carpet that runs through most of the house to some sort of wood flooring. I just wish I had a better knack for all this home improvement stuff.

[clarkfan1979]

I am currently relocating a bedroom in a basement rental unit of my primary residence. I'm guessing it's going to cost me about $500- $1000 in material. Mostly 2 x 4 studs, drywall and a door. If I do a French Door the total cost will be closer to $1,000.

The basement rental unit is 650 sq. ft. The current bedroom is super tiny with a large living room. I am going to relocate the bedroom to make it bigger. Living room will shrink a little, but it's still a good size.